Convertible car floor



July 11, 1961 c. GABRIEL CONVERTIBLE CAR FLOOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 10, 1959 INVENTOR. 67/419155 6459/62 fimwuflw United States Patent 9 Filed Sept. 10, 1959, Ser. No. 839,139 7 Claims. ('Cl. 105-422) of truck or rail shipments. Care must be taken during loading operations to provide safe secure loads which will not shift during movement and will avoid damaging the product. This requirement is particularly troublesome when coil product is shipped since coils require extensive bracing and are subject to severe damage.

The manner of loading and bracing material for shipment is subject to many variations depending on the type of carrierused, the number of units to be shipped per carrier, and size, weight, shape, and the like. Sheet product is generally shipped in multiple sheet lifts, with each lift secured to a pallet in the form of a wooden platform skid. For shipment in gondola cars and tractor trailers, two wooden guide strips are secured to the vehicle floor in laterally spaced and longitudinally extending positions to permit emplacement of the legs of the supporting pallet outside the guide strips. This provision is generally the only requirement for shipping sheets.

Shipment of coils usually requires wooden cradles for supporting the coils and extensive bracing to preventmovement thereof. To simplify loading requirements, gondola cars have been adapted for use exclusively as coil shipping cars. Since the majority of gondolas have been converted for coil shipment, their use for transporting sheet product requires removal of the supporting cradles and braces provided for shipping coils. During peak shipping periods, the coil cars are in constant use, but when lower levels of production and shipping are encountered or when shipment of coils decline, these cars remain idle.

One of the principal objects of this invention, as indicated, is to provide a floor structure with convertible provisions adapting it for handling coils as well as palletized stacks of metal sheets. Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the followingdescription.

In the drawings there is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention. In this showing:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a car floor structure constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention showing it conditioned for the transport of metal sheets;

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 but showing a portion of the floor structure converted for t; e shipment of coils; I

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IVIV of FIGURE 2.

The drawings show somewhat diagrammatic-ally the body of a carrier vehicle such as, for example, a truck trailer or a railway gondola. As best shown in FIGURE 1, it has a wood floor that includes spaced side portions 1 with a pair of center portions 2 arranged therebetweeu which have abutting engagement along a line 3 corresponding to the longitudinal center line of the carrier.

2,991,734 Patented July 11, 1961 floor. The bars 5 are placed on the floor in pairs arranged:-

parallel to each other and extending in a direction longitudinally of the fioor area in selected positions of lateral adjustment according to the load to he handled. FIG- URE 4 shows a wood pallet 7 that forms a transport support for a stack of metal sheets 8 and the manner inwhich the guide bars 5 are arranged along the inner edges of its supporting legs 9-to position the pallet 8 on the floor and restrain it against lateral move-ment with respect thereto. The anchoring lugs 6 on the guide bars 5 are preferably offset relative to their longitudinal center-line to provide for lateral adjustment of their anchored positions which is eifected by reversing their lengthwise posi-- tions on the car floor.

As shown in FIGURE 3 a trough 10- is arranged be tween the adjacent edges 11 of the side floor portions 1:. The trough extends the length of the car floor and is constructed to provide laterally spaced side surfaces 12 that convergeangularly downwardly from the edges 11- and a horizontal bottom surface 13 that extends betwee the lower ends of the side surfaces 112. Inthis mannerthe trough '10 is adapted to receive a coil: 14 of'metal strip in a position with its axis extending in a lengthwise direction and with its periphery supported on the trough side surfaces 12 which operate to restrain it against rolling movement.

The floor center portions 2 are formed bya pairof removable fillerelements or chooks 15' which are adapted to occupy positions received in and filling the trough 10: asshown in FIGURE 4 or in positions along opposite edges of the trough 10 as shown in FIGURE 3. In thelatter positions, the elements 15 have surfaces 16 that form extensions of the trough side surfaces 12 andactas chocks to hold a coil 14 against rolling movement. The chock filler elements 15 are secured to the floor byhinges 17 (shown diagrammatically) for pivotal movement between the positions shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. The elements as shown in FIGURE 1 are made in relatively short lengths arranged in end to end relation along the length of the car to permit opening of selectedportions of the floor for the reception of coils and to thus, permit handling ofboth coils and palletized stacks of strip. metal sheets in the same car.

When the filler elements 15 are received in the trough 10 as shown in FIGURE 4, the surfaces 16- have supporting engagement on the trough side surfaces 12 and the surfaces 18 thereon are supported on the bottom trough surface 13. In this position, the upper surfaces 19 of the elements 15 cooperate with the surfaces of the side portions 1 to provide a floorarea which is continuousover the width of the car. When pivoted to the coil receiving position shown in FIGURE 3, the surfaces 19 have supporting engagement on the floor area surfaces of the side portions 1.

As best shown in FIGURE 2, the surfaces 18 have openings 20 at spaced intervals along the length thereof for the reception of anchoring pins 21 at opposite ends of brace bars 22. The brace bars 22 are arranged and anchored in positions extending transversely of the trough 10 adjacent the ends of a coil 14 and serve to brace the coil received therein against longitudinal movement in the trough 10.

The outer ends 23 of the filler elements have a curved contour with respect to their hinge connections 17 to permit free pivotal movement to and from a position in the trough as shown in FIGURE 4.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent'that the floor structure of this invention adapts a transport vehicle readily for the handling of coils as well as palletized stacks of metal sheets. Attention is particularly directed to the fact that it is only necessary to pivot the elements through an angle of 180 about the hinge connections 17 to convert the car fioor for the handling of coils. If only one or a few coils are to be shipped, the remainder of the floor area may be used for transporting palletized stacks of metal sheets or other pallet supported loads.

While one embodiment of my invention has been shown and described it will be apparent that other adaptations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for transporting coils of metal strip and palletized stacks of metal sheets, a floor structure comprising spaced side portions providing laterally spaced horizontal load supporting surfaces, a trough between said side portions having side surfaces converging angularly downwardly from adjacent edges of said side portions and a horizontal bottom surface extending between the lower ends of said side surfaces and spaced vertically below said load supporting surfaces, a pair of chocks supported on said horizontal load supporting surfaces in positions along said adjacent edges and having surfaces respectively that diverge angularly upwardly relative to each other and form extensions of said trough side surfaces, said trough side and bottom surfaces and said chock surfaces being adapted to have supporting engagement with and to hold a coil of strip received in said trough with its axis parallel to the longitudinal center-line of said trough and against rolling movement with respect thereto, and hinge means connecting said chocks to said floor for pivotal movement about said floor adjacent edges to positions received in said trough with said chock surfaces resting against said trough side surfaces, said chocks when pivoted to said trough received positions respectively having upper surfaces forming a continuous load supporting surface in the horizontal plane of said side portion surfaces.

2. A load transporting apparatus as defined in claim 1 characterized by the provision of stop bars secured to said checks in positions extending transversely of said trough for holding a coil received in said trough against endwise' movement therein.

3. In an apparatus for transporting coils of metal strip and palletized stacks of metal sheets, a floor structure having a centrally arranged and longitudinally extending trough adapted to receive a coil therein with its axis parallel to the longitudinal center line of said trough, apair of spaced side portions extending outwardly from said trough respectively providing laterally spaced hori-v zontal load supporting surfaces, said side portions having adjacent edges which define the edges of said trough, a pair of shocks supported on said load supporting surfaces in positions respectively arranged outwardly of said adjacent edges for holding a coil of strip received in said trough against rolling movement with respect thereto, said checks being adapted to be removed from said load supporting surfaces and placed in said trough in positions 4 filling said trough and arranged on opposite sides of the longitudinal center-line of said floor, said chocks when positioned in said trough having upper surfaces that co operate with said horizontal load supporting surfaces to form a continuous horizontal load supporting surface.

4. A load transporting apparatus as defined in claim 3 characterized by the provision of stop bars secured to said floor in laterally spaced and longitudinally extending positions, said bars being adapted to hold articles received on said floor against lateral movement with respect thereto.

5. Ina freight vehicle, a car floor having a horizontal trough with its axis extending parallel to said center-line,

and means for securing said filler elements to said car surface against movement out of said chock forming positions.

6. A vehicle car floor as defined in claim 1 characterized by said securing means comprising hinges connecting said filler elements to said car supporting surface for pivotal movement in opposite rotational directions between said chock forming positions and their received position in said trough.

7. In a freight vehicle, a car floor comprising spaced parallel side portions and a centrally arranged and longitudinally extending trough therebetween, said trough having laterally spaced side surfaces converging angularly downwardly from adjacent edges of said side portions, a pair of removable filler elements received in said trough with adjacent edges thereof disposed along a line extending centrally of said trough, said filler elements having lower surfaces fitting against said trough side surfaces and. upper surfaces that cooperate with said floor side portions to provide a continuous horizontal load supporting surface, said filler elements being adapted to be removed from said trough and emplaced by rotating in opposite directions through an angle of in inverted positions in which their said upper surfaces are supported on said side portions and in which their lower surfaces provide an extension of said trough side surfaces, said filler elements in said latter positions forming chocks against rolling movement of a coil received in said trough with its axis extending parallel to the center line thereof, and means for securing said filler elements out of their said chock forming positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent -UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,127,044 Mutchler Aug. 16, 1938 2,585,126 Holland Feb. 12, 1952 2,622,918 Stafie Dec. 23, 1952 2,837,038 Fahland June 3, 1958 2,873,692 Schey et al Feb. 17, 1959 

